The American Geographical Society (AGS) announced the election of Dr. Demetrice “Dee” Jordan as the newest member of AGS Council. Dr. Jordan is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Jordan has a dual-doctorate degree in Geography and Environmental Science and Policy from Michigan State University. She is the first student in the department to receive a dual-PhD.
Dr. Jordan’s research focuses on the ecological and environmental determinants of disease risk for vector-borne parasitic illnesses, infectious diseases, and neglected tropical diseases of sub-Saharan Africa. She is a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) consultant and has developed innovative programs and curricula to promote the principles of DEI in academic and non-profit settings.
Dr. Jordan is the Founder of the Advancing Geography Through Diversity Program (AGTDP) at Michigan State University, which seeks to address the under-representation of African American, Latinx American, and Native American graduate students in the discipline of Geography. She recently developed the Celebrating Black Geographers anthology hosted online by the American Geographical Society. Dee is a proud member of the National Council of Negro Women and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
On joining the AGS Council, Dr. Jordan wrote, “I am thrilled to be part of the dynamic group of Councilors and contribute to the continued progress of the American Geographical Society.”
The AGS Council is the governing board of the Society and has been leading the organization since 1851. Some of the nation’s most prominent historical leaders have served on the Council including Henry Grinnell, Seth Low, Archer M. Huntington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John Noble Wilford, and many of the leading geographers, business leaders, and political figures throughout the decades.
“It is my pleasure to welcome Dr. Jordan to the AGS Council. We are looking forward to the unique perspectives she will bring to AGS as we provide geographical leadership in this era of geo-spatial exploration,” said Dr. John Konarski, CEO of AGS.
